COLUMBIA, Tenn. — Former teacher Tad Cummins was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in jail.
Cummins had earlier entered a plea of guilty on two counts involving the cross-country trip he took with the then-15-year-old Maury County high school student for transporting a minor for sex and destroying evidence, and destroying both their cell phones.
Cummins admitted he took the student on a cross-country trip that began March 13, 2017. Along the way, they stole license plates in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Utah, Nevada and Oklahoma to avoid being caught. The two bought a kayak in an attempt to paddle from California to Mexico but the water was too rough.
Investigators found Cummins and the girl in California five weeks after they disappeared living in a cabin on a commune. Cummins admitted to having sex with the teen several times.
The girl's father eventually sued Cummins and the school board.